The invention relates to a system and method of cleaning and feeding textile fibers to a system of card machines. Particularly, the invention relates to the feeding of cleaned fibers to a plurality of distribution lines having a series of textile cards. Each distribution line is supplied by a supply unit which includes a cleaning machine fed by a fiber batt forming machine for more uniform fiber opening and cleaning. The batt forming machine includes a partitioned reserve chute which facilitates serial connection of more than one supply unit along a fiber delivery line. Multiple supply units may be fed from a single delivery line which then distribute fibers to parallel lines of textile card machines.
Heretofore, textile fiber cleaning machines have typically been fed by depositing fibers loosly in a column in a drop box above the cleaning machine. The fibers are subsequently fed to the opening roll of the cleaning machine by delivery rolls. The fibers are accumulated above the delivery rolls in the form of a loose mat. The density of fibers varies in the loose mat across the axial length of the feed rolls. Light and heavy fiber areas occur in the loose mat along the axis of the feed rolls. The light areas tend to be overworked which contributes to fiber damage. The heavy areas are given less working and cleaning. Non-uniform cleaning of the fibers results. To compensate for the light and heavy areas and the loose fiber mat, segmented pedal feed plates have been utilized in cleaning machines. The segmented pedals of the feed plate allow the thick and thin areas to be fed to the opening load without jerk ends of the thin loads as may occur in the case of a single feed plate. However, this operation is not always reliable and fiber damage and ununiform cleaning result.
It is also known to utilize a laminar chute to feed fibers to a cleaning machine by a fan. The transport air brings the fiber tufts from a preceeding machine into the vertical laminar chute and compresses the fiber in the chute. The air then escapes through the laminar back wall of the chute. While this type of a chute arrangement may be suitable for feeding of fibers to a single cleaning machine, it does not allow for delivery of fibers to multiple cleaning machines in series. The air flow that delivers the fibers is used for delivery and for compression of the fibers. The delivery air may not be utilized to deliver fibers to subsequent serial machines. This is needed in many installations where a large number of card machines and cleaning machines may be fed by common fiber sources. Heretofore, costly auxiliary duct work, diverting valves, and condensors have been employed to deliver fiber laden air to more than one machine.
Accordingly, an important object of the present invention is to provide a method and system for feeding and cleaning fibers in which a bat forming device feeds a fiber batt having a uniform density to a cleaning machine so that a consistent, low weight of fibers is fed to the cleaning machine along the axis rotation of the opening roll for more uniform opening and cleaning of fibers.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a method and system for cleaning and feeding fibers which includes a supply unit having a fiber batt forming machine which feeds a batt to a cleaning machine wherein serial fiber delivery air may be directed through multiple supply units.
Another object of the invention is to provide a system and method for feeding cleaned fibers in which a number of parallel textile card lines may be fed from individual cleaning machines connected in series without the use of costly condensors and diverting valves.